Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Asian Experiences and Immigration to America Essay

In the 1800s, a common struggle exists for Asian Americans in the United States, specifically the Chinese and Japanese. The term, identity is recognized through numerous events overtime and these events include the role of Asian Americans shaping the history of America. It took countless years for early Chinese and Japanese individuals to be accepted into American lifestyles, let alone be acknowledged of their own identities. There are many similarities, yet many differences between Chinese and Japanese communities, as shown in Hisaye Yamamoto’s short story â€Å"Seventeen Syllables† and Ronald Takaki’s excerpt â€Å"Gam Saan Haak†. Hisaye Yamamoto’s â€Å"Seventeen Syllables† expresses the significance behind difficulties faced by Japanese immigrants to the United States, as well as the racial separation between these immigrants and their families. The Japanese immigrant experience many obstacles, such as poverty and unstable marriages. Yamamoto’s story implicates a teenager and her mother, Tome Hayashi who takes an interest in writing haiku for the Japanese language paper in San Francisco. Her daughter however is practically illiterate to speaking Japanese, which is ironic since that is her culture and furthermore, fails to understand the haiku her mother writes. See Rosie, she said, it was a haiku, a poem in which she must pack all the meaning into seventeen syllables† (Yamamoto 154). This is an interesting aspect in a sense that while Tome expresses her relevance on haikus, Rosie pretends to understand the concept and meanings of her mother’s learning, but realistically she refuses to comprehend. More importantly, Tome Hayashi only took an interest in haiku to overcome everything that she went through. The truth was revealed when Tome admits to telling Rosie of her past. As her mother told her the story, Tome remained in control of her life, which is extremely difficult after gathering that she faced horrible memories. Rosie was shocked to believe such things, â€Å"Her mother, at nineteen, had come to America and married her father as an alternative to suicide† (162). Before her father, her mother had met a lover, but only did she know that her lover already had an arranged marriage by his family. Many of these married couples are unsuited for one another and usually, forced to be with one another. Another important significance is that these problems were concealed from their children, which is why Rosie had no idea until the end of the story. Disappointed about her past, Tome asks Rosie to promise never to marry and never be blinded by young romance. The story portrayed an intergenerational conflict between first generation and second generation. What Rosie went through may not have the same outcome as her mother did. Ronald Takaki’s excerpt â€Å"Gam Saan Haak† demonstrates Chinese immigrants as â€Å"travelers to Gold Mountain† (Takaki 80). Due to hard economic times, government corruption and deficiency in China, forced many men to pursue opportunities overseas, such as the arrival in California. This separated many men from their families because there was a control of migration to America. Chinese women were excluded by the law, which show signs of prejudice, but instead were marked as laundry workers, which was a â€Å"woman’s occupation† (Takaki 93). Furthermore, â€Å"Chinese worked in a variety of occupations: they were housekeepers, servants, laundresses, seamstresses, shoemakers, cooks, miners and fisherwomen. But overwhelmingly, especially in the early years, Chinese women were prostitutes† (Takaki 121). There were lots of employments for the Chinese women, but most of them were in a condition of debt, therefore they turned to the role of being prostitutes. Lives for the prostitutes were treacherous because they were beaten on occasions and looked down on based on their status. However, they were enormously profitable for their owners. Since women are incapable of working in heavy labor force, it had caused men to travel away from home to make some money. A great number of Chinese immigrants came up with the same plan to migrate to America, causing the Chinese to make up 25 percent of the work force. At first they were doing great, owning businesses such as a shopkeeper and merchant, while some are artisans, farmers and labor contractors. However, the Americans did not like how the Chinese are taking over their land. A riot broke out between Americans and Asian Americans over the elimination of competition from foreign miners. Takaki generates in his story the ultimate solution to prevent Asian immigrants from advancing anymore in the workforce, â€Å"To halt the threat, the committee recommended the enactment of a foreign miners’ license tax† (Takaki 81). This form of resentment towards the Chinese was extremely unfair. â€Å"The racial purpose of this new tax was transparent: aimed mainly at the Chinese, this new tax required a monthly payment of three dollars from every foreign miner who did not desire to have become a citizen† (Takaki 82). This law imposed on the immigrants was mainly an act to drive away Chinese immigrants and take away their businesses. Slowly after, lives for the Chinese have become increasingly difficult. Instead of owning businesses, some have to organize themselves into small groups. Chinese people were marked as inferior people among the â€Å"white Americans†. A common connection between the Chinese and Japanese is that women are usually restricted from their men of the same culture, causing Chinese and Japanese men to go for women other than their traditional culture. This usually leads to men marrying a white woman, in addition to having a family together, meanwhile losing all cultural traditions. Moreover, when the law was passed that Asian immigrants are allowed into the United States, they were stopped with the Asian Exclusion Act, where they are sojourned from migration and naturalization. The constant racial discrimination against Asians has become the main argument behind these immigrants’ experiences. Many immigrants hoped to move to America, wishing to adapt to American culture and lifestyles and believing that it is possible to be â€Å"white†. However, they were driven out of American due to being a minority. â€Å"Historically, whites generally perceived America as a racially homogenous society and Americans as white. Long before the Chinese arrived, they had already been predetermined for exclusion by this set of ideas; the Chinese future in America could be seen in the black and Indian past† (Takaki 100). This can be seen as racism towards the Chinese workers. This distinction was made because the Chinese, like the blacks were viewed as threats in white society. In the eyes of Americans, there are no differences between Chinese and Japanese. They have a shared history and lots of community, especially seen through racism. This is true to a certain extent only because the Gentlemen’s Agreement Act have created some equality for the Japanese. The Japanese were treated slightly better than the Chinese. While the United States would impose restrictions on Chinese immigrants, they were more lenient with Japanese immigrations in that there were no restrictions imposed. There were government differences because Japanese victory against Russia has made Japan demand for their identity in America.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Introducing Customer Services Essay

Introduction In this assignment I will be writing about the importance of having good communication skills in customer service. I was assigned to a two week work placement at Superdrug where I had to deal with different types of customers and their needs and expectations. I also was instructed by the supervisor to give good customer care and service to customers. Task 3 Explanation of what a customer is Customers are people or businesses who pay for goods and services or benefit from a particular business. People such as: * The elderly * Teenagers * Disabled * Insurance companies * Banks * Cleaners Task 4 In this task I will be explaining the meaning of internal customers. I will also be giving examples of what an internal customer is. Internal customers Internal customers are those people and employees who might use a company’s services and products. Examples of internal customers are: Store Manager The store Manager is an internal customer because he/she benefits from the company when the company gets sales. They also may get a pay rise if the business does really well. The manger depends on the business to get sales, if the business does badly the manger is then at risk of losing money or getting sacked. Security guard The security guard is an internal customer, for his/her service of making sure goods are not thieved from the store he/she benefits from the business by getting a months salary and also may get discounts from the business. Cleaners The cleaner’s job is to make sure that everything in the shop is clean and presentable. The cleaner benefits from this by getting a monthly salary and may get a discount on the products he/she buys from the business. Task 5 In this task I will be explaining the meaning of external customers. I will also be giving examples of what an external customer is. External customers An external customer is an individual or business outside of the company who receives goods or services from that particular company. For example: Banks Banks are external customer because they benefit from the money that is given by companies. They benefit from this money because when the money is given to the bank the bank loans the money to other companies and make profits off of it e.g.(interest). Suppliers The suppliers are external customers because they provide the products for the businesses and the businesses therefore buy the products from them. The suppliers make a profit from that money used to pay for the product which enables the people who work with the supplier to get a salary. People People are external because they buy products from the business and in return they get good service and quality products. Task 6 Customers at Superdrug and their needs and expectations In this task I will be identifying 4 types of customers I came across while working at Superdrug and what their needs and expectations were. While on my work experience I came across a range of different customers such as: * The elderly * Disabled * Teenager I didn’t come across the external customers who are: * The cleaners * Bank * The manager * Insurance company Internal customer needs at Superdrug Store Manager The store Manager needs to come to the store and buy product in-order for him/her to get paid. The manager also needs employees to come to work early in-order for the store to open if no-one comes in to work the business will have to get closed down and the manager will lose his job. He/she also needs holiday entitlement Security guard The security guard needs to get paid for his/her services. Him/her also need to have at least one lunch break and needs to be useful e.g. (watching out for thieves). External customer needs at Superdrug Bank The bank needs Superdrug to put more money into it that they take out so the bank can make profits. The bank also needs the money to get into the bank on-time and always have some of that money in the bank. Insurance company The needs of the insurance company are for Superdrugs to pay them. Elderly To meet customer needs knowledge of the products are necessary. A lot of elderly customers come in to the store for the in-store pharmacy, the customers brings their prescription to the counter and or they may ask you for something you will have to understand what they need so that the customer can purchase the product. The customers are also like to be buying the product from a decent enough price and have good quality. Teenagers Superdrug attracts a lot of teenage customers because they like to buy a lot of hair products and perfumes. They need good value for money as they don’t work to get money themselves and quality products. Internal customer expectations at Superdrug Store Manager The store Manager expects employees to come in every day and give good customer service and expects a permanent job. He/she also expects the employees to be polite and pleasant to him/her, and expects the business to look after him/her e.g.(sick pay). Security guard The security expects to be treated with respect by all staff in the store, a lot of thieves come into the store everyday and if the security is to catch one of those thieves he/she expects to be praised and maybe get a pay rise for the hard work. For his/her service of making sure goods are not thieved from the store he/she expects to benefit from the business by getting a months salary and also may get discounts from the business. External customer expectations at Superdrug Bank The bank expects Superdrug to pay their money on time and use they right forms. They also expect the money to come in regularly. Insurance company The Insurance Company expect Superdrug to pay their money on time every month and not make untrue claims because this will make the insurance company lose out on money. They also expect Superdrug to fill the form out correctly when apply for that particular company. Elderly Elderly customers expect to be treated with respect and when asking for a prescription they expect staff to be polite and the prescription to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. Elderly customers also expect to have easy access around the store. Teenagers Teenagers expect good customer service from employees. They also expect the products to be of good quality and value for money. They also expect for the product that they want is always available. Task 7 Customer’s expectations at Superdrug are quiet high and are always increasing. While on my work experience I came across many different types of customer, below are just a few examples of customers I came across in the business and what their needs and expectation were. Task 8 Why you have to present yourself appropriately and prepare your work area before customers arrive in Superdrug. In this task I will be explaining why it is important that staff present themselves appropriately and prepare their work area before customers arrive. In Superdrug the majority of customers are members of the public, the appearance of both the staff and the premises are very important. It is important in a retail business that staff pays attention to their appearance because customers expect you to be smartly dressed, and also to be approachable this includes having good hygiene. It is important that I had a positive attitude towards customers so that they may feel welcome to return back to the store and buy products. Knowledge of products and services is also very important because customers won’t always know about the product so they would seek advice from staff. In Superdrug it is important that the work area is clean and tidy before customers arrive to provide a pleasant and sufficient environment to give the impression to the customers that the store is well looked after. It is important that equipment is easily accessible to those who need to use it. For example the tills would be turned on and appropriate amount of cash put in, and televisions advertising certain products so that customers can buy them. The work tops will also be cleaned before customers arrive. It is also important to keep store safe for customers at all times this can be done by making sure that the till area is always tidy and making sure the walking areas no obstructions such as boxes and plastic wrappers left from staff stacking items. There would also be security staff protecting the store. Task 9 How Superdrug staff prepare themselves and their work area for customer service In this task I will be describing how staff in Superdrug prepares themselves and their work area for customer service. Staff Positive attitude While on my work experience I had positive attitude when dealing with customers and was enthusiastic about the products I was selling. It is also important that I was polite and understood the customer’s needs so that the customer will be happy to buy the product I was describing to them. Personal presentation In Superdrug it was expected of me to be professionally presented. The customers will have certain expectations including being approached by staff that is clean, smartly dressed and has good personal hygiene. Dress code I was instructed by the manager to arrive at the Superdrug wearing a smart black blouse with smart black trouser and black shoes (no trainers). It is also expected of me to have clean hair and brushed teeth so my breath does not smell while talking to customers. Posture It was important that I had good posture which means standing up straight and looking confident so that you look approachable by customers. If I did not have a good posture for example slouching with my hands in my pocket customers may think I can’t be bothered and I don’t care about my job, therefore customers will not feel comfortable approaching me. Personal space It is important that when I was talking to a customer face to face that I was to stand at least arms length away from them. Standing closer than the recommended length is invading that customer’s personal space and they may feel uncomfortable. Standing further away from the customer may give them the impressions that you are either scared or you don’t have time for them. First impressions First impression of a business is very important. If a shop is first opening and the shop floor is dirty and staff looks scruffy, the customers may think the business is not run properly and may not get the chance to see the products. The customers will see the dirt and poor appearance of the staff and will expect the product to be poor quality. Knowledge of products and services Customers expect staff to know about the products and services that the retail outlet provides. It is important that staff familiarise themselves with the layout of the shop floor, this will enable staff to provide information regarding products (e.g. product whereabouts). While on my work experience at Superdrugs it was required of me to have knowledge of the section I was working in and also know other sections around the store, I was given a sheet of paper showing everything that was in the store and where they were. By the end of the day I knew where every thing was on the shop floor, when customers approached me asking where a particular item was, I was able to tell them straight away. It helped to have the section I was given to work in because I had a lot of knowledge of those products as I am always buying those products myself. Organisations guidelines and standards required for customer service It is essential that Superdrug have a customer service policy that states the required standard for customer service. This ensures that employees know what to do when they are dealing with customers and will help them provide a high standard of customer care. Teamwork It is important that staff are good at working as a team, this can improve your customer service skills as you would have to use the same skills in order to build a good relationship with your team workers. For example listening skills, negotiation skills and assertiveness. Teamwork involves sharing ideas and working together, for example in Superdrug on the pharmacy counter processing customers prescriptions is customer service staff working with each other the till staff send prescription info to a computer behind the scenes, the prescription is then processed and given to the customer. Work area Appropriate equipment In Superdrug it is important that the work area is clean and tidy before customers arrive to provide a pleasant and sufficient environment to give the impression to the customers that the store is well looked after. It is important that equipment is easily accessible to those who need to use it. For example the tills would be turned on and appropriate amount of cash put in, and televisions advertising certain products so that customers can buy them. Safe and tidy work area It is important in that Superdrug keep the work area clean and tidy. I did this by making sure that I cleaned up my rubbish after stacking the shelves. If the store is not kept safe and tidy it could cause hazards and may result in customers injuring themselves. It is also important that the workplace is kept tidy because staff may find it is easier to lose important documents. Efficient use of space It is important that in Superdrug there is enough space for all types of customers to walk about with. For example mothers with buggies and disabled people in wheelchairs. It is also important that items displayed on the shelves are easy reach by customers of average height. Remember high shelves can make it hard for shorter people to reach. Health and safety By law all employees/staff are required to take responsibility of their own health and safety and that of other e.g. (customers). It is also important that when staff use equipment they clean up after themselves or put the equipment in its rightful place. For example, when stacking out items on the shelves make sure the boxes or the products wrapping is not obstructing the aisles, this could cause a customer to trip and injure themselves. Fire safety It is important that staff follow the procedures of fire safety. All members of staff should know what to do in an event of fire and where the equipment is, for example marked fire exits, emergency evacuation procedures and fire extinguishers. While on my work experience on the first day I was shown all the nearest fire exits and it was explained to me what I should do in an event of fire. There was a practice fire alarm and it was my job to make sure that all customers were safe and evacuated the building immediately. Accident It is important that all staff in Superdrug no what to do in case of an accident to an employee or customer. If a customer or employee has been injured it is important that you notify an appropriate member of staff e.g. (manager, first aider). If the injury severe you should dial 999 and ask for an ambulance. Task10 Health and Safety risks in the workplace Task 11 In this task I will identifying four possible hazards found in Superdrug. Four possible hazards in Superdrug Poor maintenance Slips, trip and falls Fire exits Smoking Task 12 In this task I will be identifying the potential hazards and risk in Superdrug. I will also be explaining how the hazards and risks could harm employees and customers. Hazards Risks Poor Maintenance If shelves are broken and not repaired quickly. A customer might want an item which is on a high shelf not knowing that is broken they will pick up the item and the products could fall on the customer which may cause an injury. If shelves are broken and not repaired quickly. An employee can be stacking the shelves not knowing the shelf is broken they will stack items on there and the shelves will collapse onto the person causing an injury. Slips, Trips and Falls If the floor has just been cleaned and a hazard sign has not been put up. A customer could walk into the store not knowing the floor is wet, they would then walk in that wet area and slip and injure them self. If an employee has just finished their task of unpacking products and stacking them on the shelves and they leave the rubbish on the floor, another employee could walk by not knowing the rubbish is there, the could trip over rubbish and fall and injure themselves. Fire exits If the fire exits are not clearly labelled for customers in an event of fire customers could be a great danger. If employees leave their boxes and rubbish in front of the fire exits in an event of fire people won’t be able to get out of the building and will then result in a lot of staff and customers getting injured. Smoking It is important that customers do not smoke in the building because if they are to drop the cigarette on the floor without putting out, this could cause the building to set on fire and put a lot of lives in danger. If employees are to smoke in the building they at risk of injuring themselves and others around them, everyone around them will be breathing in second hand smoke which could damage their body severely. The employee is also at risk of causing a fire and getting sacked. Task 15 In this task I will be explaining the meaning of communication. The meaning of communication Communication is when people interact with each other and share information. For example, while on my work experience I listened to customer’s needs and what they had to say which is that they wanted to buy a 3 mobile, then I gave back the right information on products and services in order for them to buy the products they wanted. Task 16 Why it is important to have good communication skills It is important to have a good level of communication skills because in the retail industry a large proportion of the work is dealing with customers verbally. Customers expect retail staff to be helpful, polite and to be well presented. Retail staff are required to have a good level of spoken English in order to understand customer needs and to be able to clearly provide information on request. Throughout my work experience I think I had very good communication skills towards customers I feel that I showed that I was enthusiastic about what I was doing. And there for customers would not hesitate to approach me. In the end it is important that the customers get what they want, the business then makes money and customers will be happy to return to the store. Task 17 In this task I will be explaining 3 types of communication I came across when approaching staff in a business Verbal communication One example of verbal communication that I came across as a customer was that when I asked a member of staff for a particular item they explain very clearly where the item was and they were very welcoming and polite Non-verbal communication One example of non-verbal communication that I came across was that when I tried to approach a member of staff in a store they didn’t even make eye contact with me they just pointed to a section of the store. Body language One example of body language that I came across is that when I tried to ask a till cashier for some information they just shrugged their shoulders with an angry face like I done something wrong. Task 18 In this task I will be identifying six communication skills and why they are important Appropriate spoken English It is important to have appropriate spoken English in Superdrug. While on my work experience it was important that I was polite to customers and that my language was clear and straightforward so that customers would fell comfortable buying the products and to return back to the store. Level and tone of voice When speaking to customers it was important that I pay close attention to my level and tone of voice. For example, if my tone of voice is too loud the customer may think I am being angry towards them. The level of voice should be balanced, not too loud and not too quiet. Welcoming In Superdrug it is important to be welcoming and friendly. For example, I welcomed every customer that came into the store and ask if they needed any help finding anything. This encourage .customers to return to the store/ Listening In Superdrug it was important that I know how to listen to customers. I made sure that I listened to the customer’s needs and what they wanted. I showed that I understood the customers and didn’t interrupt them unnecessarily. Assisting It is important to offer and give help to customers. While on my work experience I made sure I did this. For example, opening doors for customers with lots of bags, this will encourage customers to come back to the store. I also offered to get products from high shelves and if the customer was looking for a product that my store didn’t sell I advised them on what others stores would sell the product. Questioning Questioning is very important in customer services in Superdrug. When customers first enter the store the first contact with them was in form of a question. For example, ‘how can I help you Sir/Miss?’ or ‘what are you looking for?’ Questioning helped me find out the needs of the customer. Which then gave me information on what they needed, to ask another question like, ‘what is your budget for this item?’. M3 How can I provide good customer care and services? In this task I will be describing how I can provide consistent customer care and services. Good customer care It is important in Superdrug that customers are satisfied with the way they have been treated; giving good customer care and loyalty will attract more customers to the store and keep Superdrug in business. Giving good customer care means being polite and helpful to customers. It is important that I listen carefully to customers and ask them questions so I get an understanding of what the customer wants so that I can get the right products for the customer. Having a positive attitude towards customers is mostly important because without a positive attitude customers will receive a negative vibe and therefore will not feel comfortable with me serving them. For example, while on my work experience customers asked for products that were no sold at the Superdrug store, instead of saying ‘we don’t have that’ I recommended them to a store that might have it. It is important when providing customers with information that I am clear and accurate about the product and that I confirm that the customer understands the information I have supplied. It is good to remember that when a customer enters the store, try and give customers more than they pay for. Good customer services When customers enter the store they should be assisted. In Superdrug every customer that entered the store was given information on the products that were sold there and the products features. It is important in Superdug to provide after sales care such as refund and guarantees. Communicating with customers is an essential part of customer service. This includes letting them know what services are available and making sure they are happy with the product I have sold to them. Good customer service in Superdrug attracts more customers and increases sales. It also improves the business reputation which means more customers just through recommendations. For example, two main factors that contribute to its business success are Superdrugs commitment to high standard of service and the expertise of its staff. To maintain these standards and keep staff up to date with new products Superdrug invests in training. D2 The importance of providing good customer care and services Importance of good Customer service Customer service is the provision of care to customers from pre-service to after sales service. It may be face-to-face, over the telephone, written or via new technology using e-mail and the Internet. Superdrug use customer care to create an overall impression of an organisation that puts the needs of the customer first, to ensure quality and increase sales over competititors. Increasingly, Superdrug have customer services departments or customer services desks whose job is to ensure the efficient process of delivering customer care, including provision for those customers with special needs. Superdrug produce literature, which outlines their Customer Care Policy or Charter; this may include their policy on refunds, warranties, after sales service and how to make a complaint. Customer service is very important part of any business organisation. Bibliography BTEC introduction business-published by Heinemann in 2005 Heinemann Educational Publishers Halley Court, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8EJ ISBN 978 0 435401 21 4 John Ruskin college intranet site Superdrug 452-456 Brixton Rd

Monday, July 29, 2019

Interim Report on Career Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Interim Report on Career Management - Essay Example At this juncture the chief executive officer would like his employees to go for professional certifications and hence the need of the ‘advice and guidance clinic’ where a free and fair discussion can be obtained. I have the charge of running this clinic. Career Management: The concept of career management is very crucial to the individual and as well as to the organization. To the organization this is important because if the employee is not happy with his designated role then the company might face problem like attrition and inefficiency. Also employees have the tendency to add knowledge and increase their market value in job market. Many of the employees feel that they sacrifice a lot for the organization, the important question that arises is do they get back what they give Another important issue which arises is that can the expectation of the employees be compensated by the company. Moreover many organizations expect supreme commitment and performance and attach a performance related pay for their work. But the organization essentially deals with humans and not all of them can be encouraged to give the best with monetary rewards. Also, it is extremely important for the organization to know what an individual feels about his/her career. This evaluation is subjective. The individual thinks whether he is the best person for the job or not. He also tends to compare himself with his fellow colleagues Career management is important to answer these crucial questions. It is important as it helps us to adjust with the fast changes that have taken place over time. Career management tries to bring together the organization’s and individual’s expectations and tries to find a match. It tries to relate historical events to subjective experience The reason why career management is important today is that many people have to stay back in office for long hours as a result they find it difficult to maintain

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Smaller Representation, Yet Strong Family & Kinship Ties Essay

Smaller Representation, Yet Strong Family & Kinship Ties - Essay Example This is possible on account of an extended family that helps each other by assisting in household tasks, child rearing, transportation and practical advice. We now try and extend the focal argument to a different stream of society: Asian Americans, Pacific Highlanders, Native Americans and immigrants. In the case of Asian Americans, we would expect the pattern to be similar for all the variables in the survey such as â€Å"Live with kin†, â€Å"Live near kin†, â€Å"Financial Support† and â€Å"Emotional Support†. In the case of Financial and Emotional Support, we would expect Asian Americans to be at par with white Americans. To support our claim, we look at previous research that highlights an instance of the closely-knit Punjabi (a province in India) communities where the children conformed to elders expectations in terms of marriage, child rearing and support to kin (Foner, 1997). She goes on to explain the emphasis on education in India. Therefore we can expect that other Asian countries such as China and Indonesia would be keen on stressing a higher level of educational qualifications. Extending the argument, we can say that higher levels of academic qualifications would in turn lead to a better standard of living. Therefore, despite being minorities, we would expect Asian Americans to earn substantially higher incomes than their Black or Latino/ a counterparts. Foner (1997) also traces patterns of family ties among Asian Americans and states that they tend to emphasize high levels of conformance, cooperation and acceptance to family norms and rituals. This helps us infer that Asian Americans are also likely to

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Unit 8 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Unit 8 - Assignment Example It thus provides a more thoughtful and relevant platform for designing economic policies since it take psychological thinking into consideration. Effects of behavioral economics in the free market. It relaxes rational thinking assumptions and therefore allows for argument in predicting how economic decisions can be guided. According to Barberis N.K (2001) behavioral economics can be used to predict and explain field phenomena such as the anomalies in the stock market. Behavioral economics borrows from the Proverb; a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. It argues that consumers will prefer to hold what is already in their hands than what is far from them even if it costs less. They try to avert losses that may occur when they decide to seek high returns. It also tends to explain the case of giffen goods whose demand increases with an increase in price. So in this case of mp3 and the digital camera consumer will be less rational by considering the second option even if the opport unity cost as well as other costs is the same. They will be guided by their behavior and human

Friday, July 26, 2019

Single Parent Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Single Parent - Assignment Example As yet there are no estimates of the numbers of deaths from CHD which are due to poor psychosocial well-being or of the numbers of deaths which could be avoided if psychosocial well-being was increased. Although, some single parent are doing their best to support the needs of their family, they still encounter some potentials problems like, visitation and custody arrangements, effects upon the children of continued conflict between parents, decrease in the amount of time parents and children can spend together, effects of a divorce on children's performance in school and peer relations, and disruptions in extended family relationships. To cope with this problem, single parent should often talk to his children regarding on their feelings with each other. They should also learn how to communicate with each other, spend time together to go shopping, playing different kinds of sports, watching some interesting movies or simply going to church together. These ways will help develop a better single parent and children relationship. Amy is a 38 yr. Old single parent who has three children aged 9, 7 and a newborn baby boy. She has a hard time taking care of her children especially her new baby due to being busy looking after the rest of the family. Her brother Rys is 30, who has a moderate learning disability, shows signs of distress due to his worries to his family. Her father Ronald, who is 76 yr. Old widower, had a fall and since then his mobility has seriously deteriorated. Due to the circumstances that Amy's family is facing, she is feeling tense and anxious about how is she going to cope with supporting her dad, while continuing to meet the needs for her children. With Amy's situation, it's really hard to give everything to her family especially that she is the only one supporting them. She may experience depression and stress due to her responsibilities to her family. To cope with this, she should know the thing that a single parent must do in order to meet the needs of her family. Amy is having a hard time coping up with her kids, her father and brother and on how to make both ends meet. Having these problems at hand just right after giving birth to a baby boy made her not only physically drained but also mentally disturbed. Due to this, she may suffer from Post Natal Depression. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, around 1 in every 10 women has PND after having a baby. If untreated, it can last for months, or sometimes longer. There are number of symptoms suffers

Introspection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introspection - Essay Example The depth of introspection a person has concerning ethical beliefs depends on their life experiences. An example would be a child raised in a monastery, who later becomes a monk. This child believes what he has been taught but also spends much time in prayer. This child has been taught about the sins of man. He then introspectively searches his soul for his sins. This allows for him to be a more ethical person. On the other hand, if a child is raised in a monastery, but physically or sexually abused by a priest, this child might not have high ethics. This child might even grow up to abuse other children since the cycle tends to repeat themselves. Experiences determine an individual’s ethics. Ethical beliefs can change over time. In fact, ethical beliefs change and grow as a person ages. A child might lie for fear of disapproval, but grow and become a truthful adult. Children learn as they grow. Another example would be a two-year-old might hit other children, but find out later hitting is wrong. It depends on how time and experiences change a child. Adults guide children’s ethics, but in the end, experiences dictate a child’s ethics and introspection. Finally, the true test of ethics is the reason behind an individual’s beliefs. If a person does not steal or commit murder for fear of prison, they are law abiding, not truly ethical. If a person does not steal because it is wrong, this makes them ethical. When a person thinks of others and how they feel; about what is right and wrong, then they are ethical.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

The Significance of Storytelling for Children Thesis Proposal

The Significance of Storytelling for Children - Thesis Proposal Example I have chosen to carry out an investigation into the language of books written for young children based on Gordon Pradl’s study of a child’s concept of story development. In ‘Narratology: The Study of Story Structure’, he states:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Applebee describes six stages in children's event-arrangement, a developmental pattern ranging from "heaps" (mere lists of unrelated perceptions) to "true narratives" (complete events that reveal a theme or evaluation of experience). Other researchers have shown that children in the telling of their own stories gradually develop certain literary conventions ("once upon a time...") as they grow increasingly sensitive to the overall aesthetic structure of a narrative.†Ã‚   Reading books to children is an age-old and trusted method of instilling a basic comfort level in the child with a particular language. Barbara Stoodt remarks, â€Å"Reading which does not stir their imagination, which does not stretch their minds, not only wastes their time but will not hold them permanently† (Stoodt, 61) I believe that interacting and reading books with other people is a more natural way for children to learn basic language skills backed up with practice of high-quality phonics (letters and sounds strategy) The point about reading with children is to open up that most vital human interaction: a conversation. I aim to discover how books introduce new words to children and how illustrations play a key part in this. Furthermore, I aim to explore how effective books are in helping children to acquire linguistic and communicative competence by helping them learn the main aspects of language including phonology, pragmatics, semantics, and syntax.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Hedging risk exposure and arbitrage Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hedging risk exposure and arbitrage - Term Paper Example Some of the methods include hedging or diversification of risks (Madura, 2014). The investors should choose the best option cautiously not only to eliminate the risk but also to maximize revenue. This document evaluates put option as a hedging strategy in a simulation scenario. Hedging is concurrent acquisition and sale of two equivalent securities having different maturity period with the expectation of gaining from the consequent movements the price of those securities (Bouzoubaa & Osseiran, 2010, p. 78). The investors hold stocks with the expectation that at one point they will be able to sell the stock at a higher price to cover the transaction cost and other cost of holding the stock such as inflation cost (Bingham & Kiesel, 2004). The stocks are sold at a premium, but the sales may have to be delayed. The unit value of stock after price appreciation is equivalent to the marginal cost of holding that security. Anticipation of price increase in the stock value will result to an increase in the current price of the stock (Madura, 2014, p. 342). By hedging the stock investors commit to taking a minimum value of the stock and avoid making loss in case, the value of the underlying security goes below the future value of the contract. However, the hedger risk losing profit in case the value of the stocks exceeds the future contract value. It is imperative to note that the individual’s decision to hedge security does not affect the market condition because the investor transfers the risk to a willing speculator who buys a security. Also, when an investor purchases a security with anticipation that their prices will raise in the future that result in the transfer of risk from the seller to the buyer of the stocks (Madura, 2014, p. 242). However, investors accept risk premium in order to hedge their securities. The implication of risk premium is the fact that the investor has to sell

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Fundamental Analysis of Hewlett Packard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Fundamental Analysis of Hewlett Packard - Essay Example Acknowledging the significance of the company in its relevant field, this report aims to provide a detailed analysis of the company. This report consists of two major parts. First part of this report encompasses the qualitative information about the company, which includes objective of the company, products manufactured by the company, its target market and competitive edge. The second part incorporates the financial analysis of the company, which includes evaluation of income statement, balance sheet, cash flows and ratio analysis for the past 3 years i.e. 2011, 2010, and 2009. Based upon these analyses, recommendations will be made for investors whether or not to invest in the company. For investor relations, qualitative information is equally important as quantitative information. It allows the investors to gain insights related to the objectives and prevailing operations of the company. Investors cannot take decisions just on the basis of numeric figures. The reason is that somet imes companies manipulate their numeric figures and overstate the figures of profitability. Therefore, qualitative analysis is also studied carefully in order to provide recommendation to investors. The more a company is inclined towards expansion, the more are the chances for it to provide profits to investors. Qualitative analysis of HP has been mentioned in the subsequent sections of this paper. 2.1 Objective of the Company The primary objective of the company is to serve the technology based needs of customers. The company’s major corporate objectives include: Customer Loyalty; HP earns customer loyalty and respect by consistently providing value and the best quality Growth; HP acknowledges and grabs opportunities for growth, which builds upon their competencies and strengths. Profit; the company generates sufficient profits to create value, finance growth and achieve its corporate objectives. Market Leadership; HP leads in market place by designing and delivering innovat ive and useful products, solutions and services. Commitment to Employees; HP shows commitment towards its employees by rewarding and promoting them, based on their performance and by creating an environment that reflects their values. Global Citizenship; HP claims to fulfill its responsibility to communities by being intellectual, economic and social to where they do business. Leadership Capability; The Company claims to develop leaders who achieve business results, lead to win and grow and exemplify company’s value (HP CORPORATE OBJECTIVES AND SHARED VALUES). 2.2 Products Manufactured There are huge varieties

Monday, July 22, 2019

Hals Hardware Essay Example for Free

Hals Hardware Essay Hal’s Hardware Inc. s regional, therefore they only have stores (14 of them) in three states. This scope of customers is a weakness because of their competitors such as Home Depot and Lowe’s are not regional Franchise Hardware Stores. Hal’s Hardware Inc. doesn’t have a good business process to deal with a national scale demand. The size of the products that can be delivered directly to the customer is also limited. Hal’s Hardware Inc. can adapt to an online website filled with the items they sell because all of they have a database of all their items they ever had. Hal’s Hardware Inc. will be able to expand their stores as well as apply their demonstrations online, have accessibility, and a will adopt new ways means of attracting customers. Convenience to the customers is especially possible to provide due to the ‘order online and pick-up in-store’ idea. Hal’s Hardware Inc. , if developing an e-commerce, will have to consider the factors of their decision. They will be facing immense competitions from larger Hardware industries and e-commerce Businesses who in which has a higher area profile, a vast scope of customers. With other e-commerce Businesses, the threat of losing manufacturing companies from selling via Hal’s Hardware Inc. , and directly selling their products online using e-commerce sites such as Amazon, and other sites with a wide target client coverage. There are numerous additions that the company may resort to in order to remain strong amidst other competitors. Hal’s Hardware can make use of the aspect of community and service that they’ve developed in-store and apply it on their website. This can be done in various ways. First, wanted ads from constructors should have a place on the website. From these projects, the web site could suggest tools and materials which would bring the attention of customers to certain items by showing how they can be used. Second, website could also be host for methods of instruction. In the store and tool demonstrations already occur. Online, the instruction manuals that they give out in store could be uploaded, for example. There could also be videos of the tool demonstrations to help online customers see the products in action. Third, seminars and workshops may be accessible online. Fourth, customers should be allowed to submit reviews of products that they’ve purchased either online or in-store. Moreover, schedules of seminars and workshops should be available online in order to advertise store events and draw in more people both to the website and to the store. With regard to their purchasing process, Hal’s Hardware should implement a way by which customers can find the store nearest to them prior to completing a transaction. Seeing as some items cannot be delivered directly to the customer due the size of the product and its effect on the price of shipping, the company should consider giving the customer the option of hipping their orders to their home or to a store. To go along with this, solid return and warranty policies should be constructed in order to cater customer satisfaction. To address areas in which their stock and resources are lacking, the company may make use of the site to post advertisements for manufacturers and distributors wh o would like to have their products or resources available in the store. Otherwise, the existence of a database will be a great help in forming the website. Stock will likely be updated as much as possible as the current database is changed in real-time. The amount of stock and location of products are already integrated into the current system. Both elements are incredibly useful to online customers. Overall, the website should focus on forming a good relationship between the company and the customers. The community atmosphere should translate to the website. The tight-knit nature of HHI’s customer community isn’t usually present in large chain stores. If the website contains features that nurture this, then it has a standing chance against its competitors.

The Lord of the Flies Novel Essay Example for Free

The Lord of the Flies Novel Essay The Lord of the flies is one of the greatest pieces of literature of the last century. After reading the novel, the reader is left with a multitude of sensations that amount to a feeling of awe at the masterpiece they haven just read. This novel works so well because is a multi-layered book that works remarkably well on each echelon of meaning. The novel succeeds as an amazing adventure of a group of schoolboys stranded on an island, having to fight to survive an escaping from a terrible Beast. It is difficult to read a page of the novel without wondering what tragic events will unfold next. Golding does not relent in the constant flashes of action and description even at the calm beginning of the novel, when the reader studies the book with a feeling of interest and intrigue as they wonder how the boys will respond to their own island. On another level, Golding brilliantly depicts the boys swift decline into savagery. Golding seems to make astounding observations on what makes humans different human and provides profound description on the way a civilized human becomes a mere savage. Golding seems to suggest that Human characteristics come from the influence of society and civilization and when removed from society, refined humans transcend into barbarians. Civilization is a main theme in the novel. Golding also uses symbolism and metaphors to make statements on the potential and the success of different factors of society. Golding chooses an island as the setting for an island because he wishes to create a microcosm of the world. The novel also relies on the boys being left to their own devices, without the intervention of adults. Golding chooses a group of children rather than adults because children represent innocence and they are also unchanged by society much like humankind was when it first started life on earth. Different types of society are represented on the island. There are two boys fighting for power on the island Ralph and Jack. They represent democracy and totalitarian dictatorship respectively. Ralph aims to lead the island fairly- through voting. He is elected by a vote just like a democratic election. Where as jack rebels against the others, disobeying Ralphs authority and starting his own tribe. Ralph makes rules but doesnt physically enforce them- he wants people to do what he likes but he really bases his rules on the wants and needs of others. Jack on the other hand, makes his tribe do exactly what he wants. He is a complete despot. Ultimately, neither tribe succeeds on the island. The message that Golding seems to be given to the reader is that no society can succeed on earth- democracy is no form of government because it is based almost entirely the wants of the people and the country, therefore is actually being run by the people and not the government. Totalitarianism and fascism are an effective form of government as the country is being run entirely by those in power but ultimately the people will rebel, as they are not getting what they want. This is another profound and intelligent opinion that makes the Lord of the Flies such an excellent novel. The Novel seems to be essentially a book about power and the struggle between Ralph and jack but also the struggle between good and evil. Golding implies that all people have good and evil within them. The boys start off as innocent, good people. From an early point in the novel, the boys fear a Beast. There is actually no physical Beast but as the messianic figure- Simon says, Maybe its only us. In the novel Simon is entirely correct. The boys simply fear the evil that they capable of throughout the beginning of the novel the boys seem to want to hide from, or fight the beast showing that are against evil. Later in the novel, Jack attempts to appease The Beast proving that he has become evil. The subject of religion permeates the whole of the novel. The theme of good vs. evil in the novel ties in with the religious theme. Simon seems to be a messianic, Christ-like figure. Several biblical moments appear to have been recreated within the novel. The island itself represents the Garden of Eden. The beast on the island represents evil but also the Devil. Jacks tribe reverts to a form of devil worship towards the end of the novel. Simon is the one who mainly confronts the beast; Simons meeting with the beast represents Jesus temptation by the devil, in the bible. This is such an excellent novel because it integrates a collection of complicated but comprehendible themes. Certain metaphors and symbols appear after reading the novel for a second time. It is an exciting and mentally engaging novel on many levels.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

The Impact Of Training And Development Commerce Essay

The Impact Of Training And Development Commerce Essay Human resource management plays an important role in the success of a company. Most of the companies are very keen to pay attention towards their employees. Mainly HRM (Human Resource Management) is all about managing people at work. The most important part of human resource management is Training and Development. It plays a key role in every organisation though few people disagree about the importance of training and development in the success of organisation. Appointing the right person at right time at right place needs more care and attention on the part of personal manager. A clear set of goals and well defined path should be needed for good training. Training changes attitudes, knowledge and skills of employees and also the way they work. A report published by workforce in May 2006 explains that despite focus on efficiency and cost control, companies are spending more and more on training and development. It is reflection of the fact that companies are keen about training and d evelopment to gain competitive advantages. Most of the companies clearly understand that if workers are smarter and better trained they can achieve their goals easily. In any organisation the central factor of Training and development is the human resources or the human capital. Human capital is viewed as the driving the force for the success of the organisation because of their skills, competencies, knowledge and experience (Becker, 1975; Schmidt Lines, 2002; Harrison Kassel, 2004). Background for research Area As researcher wrote in research aim and objectives and according to the topic of research the background of research is Training and development. I will focus on some critical issues regarding to training and development programmes. As Macdonalds is already a world famous food chain so they already using very well Training and development methods but still they need more and more research on training and development processes. Employees are the main assets of all companies. Every company want his employees must be energetic and effective so that the company can lead to the success. Organisational goals are always achieved by employees efficiency so it is an organisational need that their employees must be well trained. (Torrington et al, 2005). Organisations are taking great interest regarding their employees performance in these days. All organisations make sure that their employees are getting good and up to date training and development programmes. Although there are many types of training and development programmes some give more effective and energetic employees to organisation (Sun, 2003; Skinner et al, 2003; Lee 2001). Human Resource Management has a key role to play in training the employees. Cowling and Mailer (1998) suggests that basically training is given to both new employees and to employees who recently moved to a new work area. They also said that in change process training is also very necessary. Thats y training and development becomes one of the most important tasks which HRM manager has to look at. The amount and kind of training is very important for manager they should be aware of this. A manager should always focus firstly on type of training methods they are using and then it is also very important for a manager to make sure that those training methods are being put in practise through a proper channel. A proper method of training in a proper channel makes an employee more effective and efficient (Bratton and Gold, 2003). This research paper aims to identify the training needs of suggested organisation. The method of training needed and the benefit of training to the organisation will be be discuss in this paper. This report will also tell that weather organisation achieved its Goals and aim by the help of training and development. McDonalds Restaurants Limited has been selection for research because it is very easy for me to get information because the management is very friendly to academic research. And they can also learn new things from research. The Most important reason for choosing McDonalds is that I myself am the Employee of McDonalds. Company Background McDonalds is one of the famous global brands that have spread its presence over the last 52 years. The company was started in 1955 by Roy Croc with the first restaurant being opened in Des Plaines, US. This restaurant is no longer in operation now and has been turned into a museum. McDonalds brand mission is to be our customer, favourite place and way to eat. The companys worldwide operations are bounded by a global strategy called the Plan to Win which concentrates on the five basics of an exceptional customer experience, people, products, place, price and promotion. The company is committed to improving their operations and thereby enhancing the customers experience (McDonalds 2010). McDonalds is the leading global foodservice retailer that has more than 32,000 local restaurants in more than 117 countries. According to the company reports these restaurants serve approximately 50 million each day. McDonalds is one of the worlds most well-known and valuable brands. It holds a leading share in the globally branded fast-food restaurants segment in virtually every country in which they do business. The company is proud that it serves the world some of its favourite foods like French Fries, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken Mc Nuggets and Egg Muffin. The procedures followed by the company have been developed over the years. This is one area that differentiates the company from other fast-food restaurants. The attitude of the organization towards work and standards is evident from the words Roy Kroc who stated that if you have got time to lean, you have got time to clean (McDonalds, 2010). The company has procedures in place to ensure that the right candidates go through the system and attain higher positions if they can prove their abilities. It is worth noticing that the company claims that 20 out of the top 50 management staff started in McDonalds restaurants, including the CEO, Don Thompson and also 67,000 McDonalds restaurants managers and assistant managers started as restaurant staff (McDonalds 2010). This is significant considering that some take as long as 10 years to get to assistant manager position (McDonalds 2010). The organization has ensured that people with potential are spotted and retained. In hospitality and fast-food industry, the attrition rate is high and, despite this, the organization to ensure that it motivates its staff and also to keep on motivating them to put in a better performance. It is therefore of very high importance for the organization to ensure that it motivates its staff and also looks after their satisfaction with the job that th ey are doing. The company uses different approaches at different levels in the organization. The responsibility of motivating staff at the restaurant level is given to the restaurant manager and the assistant manager who use promotion as a tool to achieve this. They have to ensure that they can attain lower rates of attrition and also motivate the staff so that they are satisfied by both the job as well as the organization. This is achieved by the organization by using structured training and development programme besides the use of many other tools. McDonalds opened their first UK restaurant in Woolwich, London in 1974, today the company has over 1,250 restaurants across the UK McDonalds (UK) employs over 67,000 people, 43,000 within the company restaurants and a further 24,000 are employed by the franchisees. On average the company serves over 2.5 million customers every day. According to Peter Beresford (McDonalds 2006) people in the organization are very important, and so is their continuous development. There are different approaches that organization uses to train their staff at various levels of employment. This research has been started to identify how the staff are trained and developed at the restaurant level. The research is based in Charing Cross restaurant to conduct the research the reason for choosing these have bee mentioned in upcoming chapter. In the attempt to gain insight into the practices followed by the organization at restaurant level. Statement of Problem The core problem of this study is: Why training and development policies should be implemented by McDonalds and what is the role of the line managers at restaurant level in achieving better training for the employees? The main concern in this study is behaviour of company or an organisation which they show towards their employees. Organisation should ensure that their staffs are well trained in most aspects of their businesses (Torrington et al., 2005). Training and development of the chosen organisation is of interest with respect to the current studies. Statement of purpose As for as statement of purpose is concern the topic which writer have chose is very much interesting for me. Researcher is an employee of McDonalds and researcher really wants to search about training and development processes in McDonalds. Another reason for choosing Training and Development is because it is very important part of Human Resource and Management which is a also a subject of writer specialization and in future writer would love to research more about HRM and Training and development. In almost every organisation HRM is very important for a company so this is also a reason. Significance of the problem This topic is a very broad topic and very much important in any organisation. Every organisation admits that employees are the main assets so their top priority is to train the employees to achieve their goals. The main object of a manager is to discover a problem in an organisation and after that he decides which type of training is required for which employer. In general training and development helps increasing productivity of the employees, team spirit, organisational culture, organisational climate, quality and health and safety. Research Aim and Objectives The aim and objective of this project are as following: To identify the strategies available for training and development. To identify if there are any training and development programs in place in the organisation. Ti identify to what extent the program has been successfully implemented and if it is improving employee productivity as well as organisational productivity. To make recommendations for the future training and development programs so as to increase the benefits for the research organisation. Research questions What HRM practices are usually implemented in McDonalds Charing Cross? What HRM practices are usually implemented by other fast food in retail sector? Why training and development is important in the fast food in retail sector? What other HRM strategies could McDonald does adopt to enhance employees training and development? How employees are trained for modern technology? Chapter-2 the Literature Review Human resource management is one the major area of research in the business studies. There are many sub topics like recruitment, selection, induction, employee retention, and training and development. Training and development is the topic on which writer will research that how it is being applied in current research organisation. A discussion is raised about human resource development, organisational development, and organisational learning to understand how training and development fits into the whole picture for the success of any company/organisation in business world. Human Resource Development There are different types of HRD definition. The definition which is provided by UK Human resource development Council which is follows as Human resource development is basically a part of Human Resource and Management (HRM) which specifically deals with the training and development of employees. HRD would include training an individual after he or she is hired, providing opportunities to learn new skills, distributing resources which are beneficial for the employees task, and any other developmental activities. Human Resource Development is used for supporting employees to improve their personal and organisational skills, knowledge and abilities. HRD includes opportunities like performance management and development, employee training, employee career development, coaching, mentoring, succession planning, key employee identification, tuition assistance, and organisation development. Human Resource Development can be formal such like class room training or a college course or an orga nizational planned change effort. On the other hand HRD can be informal as a manager coaching his employee. The main focus of all aspects of Human Resource Development and training the most senior management so that organizations and individual employees can together achieve their goals in customer service (Susan et al.,2010). Many people say that there is a difference between HRM and HRD. According to them Human Resource is a major management activity and Human resource development is a profession. They might think HRM in HRD because in their point of view HRD involves in many activities to develop personnel inside of organisations, e.g., training, carer development, organisational development, organisational learning, etc. In most of the organisation the focus has moved from piecemeal training activities to more systematic human resource development. Organizations are changing their priorities. Organizations are becoming learning organizations and they are keeping them away from training individual employee. The competitive advantage of any firm comes from development of an organizations human capital. This is helping in learning experience of an employee and as a whole. According to Sloman (1994) the systematic training model depends on a series of a logical steps define as a training policy, a method for identifying training needs, the formulation of training objectives, the development of a training plan, the implementation of a planned training programme, validation, evaluation and review of training. Companies are trying to adopt high level of training model to meet their skill needs and they are linking training to strategic initiatives. Traditional training models are being rejected by many comp anies. There have been many changes in responsibility in line with the growth of HRM, delayering and divisonalisation. Training is seen as a job of line managers, with specialist trainers being used as an internal consultancy resource. The new approach needs a very effective communication system between the strategic decision makers, line managers and specialist trainers. This is now understood that employees are main asset of any organization. Bank of Montreal Chairman says employees key to maximising continued growth. 27 February 2001 Bank of Montreal shareholders were told that employees are the real key to sustaining competitive advantage and financial performance. At the banks 183rd annual meeting in Vancouver the chairman said The foundation of Bank Montreals continued growth and success, and the only way to achieve its competitive advantage is through the performance of its 33.000 people. Even there is no doubt that investments in technology, products or delivery systems can be matched by competitors, since nothing profitable remains exclusive for long. The only sure and permanent way to stay ahead of the competition is to employ the most capable people and to ensure they are given every best opportunity to do their very best work, (Camper, 2001). From this example it is very clear that the bank is confident of the investment it has made in pe ople. Human Resource Development (HRD) is a title which represents the latest evolutionary stage in the long tradition of training, educating and developing people for the purpose of contributing towards the achievement of individual, organizational and social objectives. HRD as with the title HRM are like nuts and bolts of an organisation that can be interchanged and dispensed with at will. Drucker suggested the term biological HRD to vehemence the living nature of the people with in the organisation. The scope of education is broader then the scope of training. Education has also a less immediate and less specific application than training and is often perceived as being delivered in educational institutions. Education is regarded as surrounding knowledge, skills and attitudes (Bloom et al, 1956). Distinguish between education and training could be very problematic. The example of difference between training and education is like young child coming home and saying we had sex training tod ay. Now this is a severe contrast to sex education classes that involve a theoretical rather than a practical application of learning. Frank investigated theoatical base of HRD in order to distinguish it from other fields and told that HRD is based on research and theories strained from the field of adult education and is very different from learning process that occurs in children. Frank also said that HRD is concerned with better performance within a work environment but it is not about improving peoples health and personal relation with their family. HRD also tells that how theory of change relate to an organisation and how an organisation use these theories (Frank, 1988). Human resource development is the study and practise by the help of which we can increase the learning capacity of individuals, groups, collectives, and organisations through the development and application of learning based inventions for the purpose of optimising human and organisational growth and effectiveness(chalofsky, 1992). Strategic role of HRD is increased a lot by strategic pressure and this includes accelerated rate of change, focus of quality, globalization of business, increased elasticity and reaction of organisations, increased pressure to show the involvement of human resources, new competitive structure and new technology(Graven et al, 1995).HRD contributed in many ways at all organizational levels to provide support with the help of all these pressure. In today business environment HRD is not only supporting the business strategies of organisations but it is also very useful in shaping of business strategy. HRD increase the competence of employees to fulfil the organisation present performance demand along with meeting present organisational needs (Swanson, 1995). Strategic HRD is helping organisations to respond challenges and opportunities. It also helps in telling line managers supervisors and managers their roles. The continuous assessment of learning and development and enabling them to advance their careers and supporting organisational growth. The organisational environment consist of approximately six main departments, which are shown in figure below and name as distribution, finance, human resources, marketing, production and research design. These all departments are related to one another although most of the organisation outsourced some of the elements such as distribution(John P.Wilson, 2005). Training and development is very important in every time and in every organisation weather it is small or big and Human resource and development is like back bone for any organisation because people are main asset of any organisation. Organisational development and organisational learning Organisational development has come out as a key element in the strategic management of change. OD (Organisational Development) provide focus for the cultural and organisational change which is needed a lot for continuous improvement, support systems, culture and activities to the success of organisational goals. It enables better use of financial, human and technological resources, promote a better sense of organisational purpose and it is hence more likely to bring the required performance improvement. OD is a dynamic valued based approach to systems change in organisations and communities. In simpler OD defined as a behavioural science approach to the improvement of organisational efficiency which should lead to the accomplishment of organisational objectives. In practise OD is about moving the organisation on purpose. In any organization OD create an environment which enables staff to understand and deliver the organisations objective. It support managers and staff in accomplish their aims and objectives through the condition of an infrastructure for performance and development. OD involves both hard and soft issues. Strategies, policies, structure and system are considered as hard issues whereas developing skills, behaviour, attitudes, culture and style of leadership which enable the organisation to achieve performance are considered as soft issues. To avoid conflict between goals and needs both of these issues should be addressed. A strong and successful organizational development can be not easy because it involves undertake issues related with change and service improvement. In any process of organisational development following steps should be keep in mind like establishing a central point to organize and support organisational development activities. Organisational development should within the organisational structure correctly. We should be flexible and creative in using approach to the organisational development. Organisation should take important steps to build proper organisational skills and capacity. Momentum should be keep going. Organisational development, wherever apply, attempts to improve the overall success of the organisation (Tina Buckle, 2005). Chapter Three Research Methodology Research Strategy This chapter elaborates how the research study was carried out. It is also talks about the limitation of the research and the methods used in this research. After looking at the literature available on training and development the research will look at the methodology which is use to perform the research. The research process onion (saunders et. al., 2003) is one of the most used research process structures. Using this structure we can classify different approaches, strategies and data collection method available under the different research philosophies. The research philosophy depends on the aims of the research along with its objectives. But in this case the philosophy being applied is not single and it is a mix of two philosophies. This research clearly shows a very higher influence of phenomenology in its approach to get the findings (Hussey and Hussey, 1997). This is mostly because the research does not pre define variables, but discover human behaviour in naturalistic settings , i.e., the research organisations. In this research the approach being applied is that of deduction. In good research design charts there is always a detailed research plan that how the research will be conducted . it will not only anticipate but also specify the decisions interconnected with the plan and explain how the data processing, data collection and analysis will be carried out, but will also represent a logical basis for each of these decisions (Blaxter et al, 2oo1). There are two approaches to reasoning which may result in this gaining of new knowledge, namely inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning is a theory building process starting with observation of exact instances, and seeking to establish generalisation about the phenomenon under investigation. Deductive reasoning is a theory testing process which commences with an established theory or generalization, and seeks to see if the theory relate to specific case (William, 2005). This current research looks at previous theories in relation to training and development and then sees if any or all o f these theories are applicable from organisational prospective. So we can say that this research attempts to identify the issues surrounding training and development by applying the deductive approach. We can achieve better results by the combination of research approaches. Under the deductive approach we use multiple strategies for research. For better results it is suggested to combine different approaches. It can be deduced that it is ok to mix and match approach different research strategies under the deductive approach. The strategy which we used in current research are research as an exploratory study and as a case study. The current research will be the combination of these two strategies on the basis of the information which we collected from the education sources as mentioned in the next paragraph. This current research could be ascertained to be a case study as only the study of small set of restaurants is involved which might not reflect the actual scenario in the whole organization taken in a holistic approach. This case study also allows the researcher to look at the population which might be similar in terms of jobs profile and work area, and on the basis of this the researcher could produce some overview. As exploratory research allows the researcher to address general informed questions from observation of the data collected, this type of case study is often very helpful to stimulate the further research. According to Robeson (2002), as cited by Saunders et al (2003), enquiries can be classified in term of their purposes as well as the research strategy used. Mostly the classification is used in three fold one of exploratory, descriptive and explanatory. According to Saunders et all(2003) are very common and valuable to find the proper conclusion. Hussey and Hussey (1997) define expenatery research as; it is a research which is based on looking for new ideas. Exploratory research always have great advantages so this research falls under it. The most important advantages are flexibility and adaptability to change. On the other hand explanatory research is seen to be flexible as it has a broad focus but while progressing it gets narrow. It involves in formation of original idea and not testing or confirming the existing research area it is difficult to manage in short period as in the current case. This type of research needs a lot of study and time. If we look in the current case the researcher is trying to gain insights into the variables chosen in the research organisation. This research is classed as exploratory research as it is tryingto identify the influence of training and development to an organization as well as to an individ ual and also that how it helps in development of both. The researcher felt that these two methods are ideal and suit the research question because it allows the researcher to look at the organisations working style individually and also the whole organisation by using the exploration as it main tool. Time horizons is another aspect of the onion process that should be mentioned. We will class this result as a cross sectional research because of limited time available to conduct the research. According to Saunders et al (2003) and Hussey and Hussey (1997) that such researches comes under the cross sectional studies which are studies of a particular phenomenon at a particular time. These type of researches are designed such that they look that what is happening in a particular time using a research area in research setting. Most of the researches conducted at Masters and Bachelors are classed under this category. (Turabian, 1987). Data Collection Method After deciding the research strategies the next step is to collect the data. The researcher uses the both primary and secondary data to perform the analysis and come to a conclusion. Normally secondary data are of the following types. Documentary (which is written or non written material) Survey (censuses, regular or ad-hoe surveys). Hakim (2000) defines secondary data as the data that were collected for another purpose and already exist somewhere. To find the findings of the research the researcher need to know about what has been written in same area. By using literature review the researcher can find that how their findings are similar or dissimilar to the research which was conducted previously (Easterby-Smith et al, 2002). According to Churchill (1991), the first step in any research is to collect secondary data to see whether the problem can be or wholly solved without collecting costly primary data. Similarly according to Kevin (1999) believes that secondary data provide the researcher with a source that they can use to answer or at least begin to answer the research question. Since the conducted from the organisational perspective so it is very necessary to understand the previous researches which has been conducted in the organisation and in the same industry. Hakim (2000) says that sometimes researchers may need to understand and relate previous researches that have already been performed in similar circumstances. Researcher can also use publication data which is industry specific or area specific and relates to the research question (Kevin, 1999). Secondary data was not only used as a reference frame for study but also was a channel to Chapter -6 References Work Force, May 2006, Training and Development available at http://www.workforce.com/tools/reports/WorkforceManagementSpecialReportTD.pdf last accessed on [28/01/10] McDonalds, 2010, Our Company available at http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company.html last accessed on [28/01/01] Sun,H. (2003), conceptual clarifications for organisational learning, learning organisation and a learning organisational, Human Resource Development International, vol.6 No 2,pp.153-66. Skinner, J., Pownall, I. Cross, P. (2003), Is HRD practiced in micro- SMEs?, Human Resource Development International, Vol.6 No.4, pp. 475-89. Torrington, D., Hall L., and Taylor, s., (2005). Human Resource Management, 6th ed, Prentice Hall Europe, Essex, Uk Lee, M. (2001), A Refusal to Define HRD, Human Resource Development International, Vol.4 No.3, pp. 327-41. Bratton, J., and Gold, J.,(2003)Human Resource Management: Theory and Practise, 3rd ed, Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/human-resource-development-HRD.html http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryh/f/hr_development.htm http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/hrm/chap11/ch11-links2.htm http://www.hrmguide.net/canada/learning/bank_of_montreal.htm http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=enlr=id=zpNc_GZIiikCoi=fndpg=PA3dq=human+resource+developmentots=o2WrtPGCk4sig=75P52YDdFEx57lEbQmXC7dhBEcg#v=onepageq=f=false http://www.city.ac.uk/sd/organisationaldevelopment.html

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Financial Analysis: PepsiCo Beats Coca-Cola Essay -- Pepsi, Coke, busi

Pepsi vs. Coke the epic battle that every American and from the looks of their financial statements possibly everyone in the world must deal with does it have a winner. For the fiscal year 2005 it certainly does through analyzing financial statements with vertical, horizontal, and ratio analysis investors are able to clearly decide who the better choice for their investment is. By careful scruitiny and attention to detail any investor can safely put their money in a buiseness as an investment so long as they are adhering to rules and regulations of the GAAP. Using the tools for financial analysis and the information given I will determine the winner of that battle for 2005 at least from the investors point of view. In our literature it states that a â€Å"vertical analysis evaluates financial statement data by expressing each item in a financial statement as a percent of a base amount.† I chose to look vertically at current assets and liabilities, of both companies so I can compare these figures between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to find out who is in better current standing. Current assets Vs. Total Assets for PepsiCo: ( 2005) 10454/ 31727 = approx. 33% of total assets are current (2004) 8639/ 27987 = approx. 31% of total assets are current Now we will look at the current liabilities vs. total liabilities for PepsiCo (2005) 9406/ 17476 = approx. 54% of the total liabilities are current (2004) 6752/ 14464 = approx. 47% of the total liabilities are current Current assets Vs. Total Assets for Coca-Cola: 2005) 10250/ 29427 =Approx. 35% Current 2004) 12281/ 31441 = Approx 39% Current And we will look at the current liabilities vs. total liabilities for Coca-Cola: 2005) 9836/ 29427 = Approx. 33% Current 2004... ...id volume growth for 2005†¦The company said it earned $864 million, or 36 cents a share, in the fourth quarter, a 28 percent drop from the year before. However, excluding one-time charges, the company earned 46 cents per share, a penny ahead of analysts' expectations. One-time items included taxes on repatriated foreign earnings and a charge related to a bottling investment.(Wilbert, 06)† It is a sad day when you have a 28% drop year over year and exceed â€Å"Wall Street expectations.† If I were in their shoes I would do whatever I had to do to entice consumers to put their hard earned cash back in my company even at the cost lower profitability sell for less but sell more†¦hey it works for Wal-Mart why not you to Coca-Cola. Until they change their investment and marketing strategies I would steer clear of investing in any new Coca-Cola stock for more than a few years.

Friday, July 19, 2019

The two peaces of poetry I have studied by Seamus Heaney include Essay

The two peaces of poetry I have studied by Seamus Heaney include Follower and The Early Purges. Heaney's poems both relate back to his younger, adolescent life. In the poem 'Early purges', he describes young kittens being drowned on the farm. His maturity is shown when he says with perception, "And now, when shrill pups are prodded to drown, I just shrug, ' Bloody pups' ". But we are shown that he is still careless now, as well in a casual way by saying "I just shrug". He is also unsympathetic, and justifies his actions like Dan. He is now older, looking back and changed. The language used by Heaney also expresses the fact that little was thought of these so-called nuisances. He says they are 'slung' and Dan Taggart describes them as 'scraggy wee shits'. This shows how unsympathetic he was and how the kittens needn't be cared about. Seamus Heaney also tries to describe the habitual drowning of small kittens. Again, he tries to use language to appeal more and give us a better personal picture of events. For instance, when describing the kittens, just after their death, he quite brightly says, 'Like wet gloves they bobbed and shone till he sluiced them out on the dunghill, glossy and dead'. Glossy and dead are two contrasting words - 'glossy' is a healthy appearance, but its only because the water drowned the kittens, where the word 'death' comes in. Heaney goes on to say 'watching the three sogged remains turn mealy and crisp as old summer dung'. This is very imagery language, and maybe quite disturbing, although I think it adds more atmosphere to the poem, because summer is supposed to be happy and fresh, whereas dung isn't. And 'turn mealy and crisp', which gives the impression that he tried to pr... ...side with Heaney. The arguments put up by Dan Taggart, such as "Sure isn't it better for them now?" are seen to be realistic later on in the poem when Heaney says, "It makes sense". The images which he uses, however, encourage us to sympathise with him, such as "Suddenly frightened, for days I sadly hung round the yard" where we picture a small boy frightened at the power of adults over the poor helpless animals. This poem again, like "Follower" shows that life in the country can be very difficult, especially if you have to kill small animals, but if you work hard, then the farm will run better. Both poems have main themes, and they are very similar to eachother. It is all about the hard work involved in running a farm, the relationship between the father and son, and the expectation that profession and skills will be carried on throughout the family.

A Psychoanalytic Approach to Wuthering Heights Essay -- Emily Bronte

A Psychoanalytic Approach to Wuthering Heights Before anything else, I would like to talk about the nature of the principle characters of this novel. I’d like to start with Catherine as she seems to be the central character of this love story. Of course the latter is my personal assumption. Catherine is the very representative of nature and naturalism. From the first chapters of novel and Mrs. Dean’s great and elaborate account of Catherine, we encounter the portrayal of wild nature represented by the moor. Totally intractable and precarious in nature, the moor is the most appropriate identifier of Catherine’s character. In fact, her childhood interest in the moor leads us to the conclusion that she has no touch of reason till the time she is prohibited by her sister-in-law and brother after her five-week stay at Lintons’. Interestingly, she takes her playmate, Heathcliff, to the moor to spend the joyful private time with him and this is the very foreshadow that prognosticates Heathcliff’s later confusions and sufferings as a result of her precarious and wild nature. However, Heathcliff himself has no sheer difference in character with her regarding naturalism. Ironically enough, he never undergoes any obligatory changes to abandon such a character and on the contrary he is inspired by tyrannical treatment from Hindley to assume his naturalism. Based on these assumptions we can conclude that these two lovers are the representatives of id in this novel. They act upon every impulse without any contemplations or control of wild passion. To cut the long story short, they act as their unconscious bids them to do. They are not alone in this aspect as Hindley also joins them in this characteristic in a different manner. As a result of... ...ly it was so for Catherine. It reminds me of the closing line of Shakespeare’s poem, â€Å"She should have died hereafter†, in which the poet concludes his marvelous poem by an identical tone: signifying nothing. Using two short syllables which reminds me of the hectic life of Catherine and her hasty decisions and actions based on her id which lead her with a drastic velocity to the point of her second ailment. The concluding syllable of the first word which is long portrays the anguish that both Catherine and her surroundings were undergoing during her disposition. And finally two abrupt and short syllables of the last word, nothing, represents the abruptness and quickness of her death which was all in all signifying nothing. Mrs. Dean’s aptly chosen words paraphrase the last line of this poem in a more tangible manner: â€Å"One little pulse at her heart, and nothing more.†

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Level2 Unit3 Essay

Unit 4: Contribute to the support of positive environments for children and young people Describe what is meant by positive environment All learning and exploring is positive and nurturing. The environment needs to encourage children’s development. It’s how children feel positive and confident about their sense of self and their individual accomplishments. Their space needs to provide a balance of challenge, risk and safety. A positive environment should have expressive materials like paint, drawing materials, and dough or clay. The space should include open-ended materials that can be used in many different ways, so children can pretend, invent and create. Sensory experiences are also very nurturing and soothing for kids’ emotions. Water play, sand play, play dough, pouring materials – they all allow release of frustration. Construction materials, like building blocks, are also important and help develop a child’s fine and gross motor skills. The environment needs to be based on the whole child: socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically. This approach looks at the environm ent as a whole through the child’s eye. Ask yourself, â€Å"Are there materials so that the child can express his feelings? Are the materials challenging enough? Are there opportunities for fine and gross motor development?† Here are some useful tips: * Organization – Can the child â€Å"read† the environment to make sense of it? Is the space clear or chaotic? Labels or pictures help the child keep the environment orderly, which fosters independence in the child. * Aesthetics – Is there colour, texture, soft materials? Not just primary colors. Having a wide range of colours and materials is more likely to appeal to children and will enable them to gain more intelligence about their world. * Adaptability – Can the space or materials move and change to reflect the child’s current development, interests? Creating a positive environment also means giving a child individual attention and respect by acknowledging the child. Acknowledgement is more than simply complimenting the child. An adult can complement a child by saying, â€Å"I love your art.† Acknowledgement, however, is when an adult takes notice of what a child has done, and says, â€Å"Look, you can do that now!† When creating a positive environment for the child make sure you have a safe and welcoming home. Make sure your house is child-proof in the kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms. Keep a clean environment not only for health reasons, but also because staying clutter-free will help you from feeling overwhelmed. Play classical music to create a peaceful environment for both yourself and the baby. Identify regulatory requirements The requirements of legislation, regulation and codes of practice for safeguarding and protecting children relevant to the home country where the setting or service is located. The duty of all within the sector to safeguard children, including: The Children Act of 1989 and Children’s Bill of 2004’s aim is to simplify the laws that protect children and young people in the UK. Before these acts came into force there were many different pieces of legislation to protect children and it had become clear that they were not working for the best possible outcomes for children or young people. Bringing these two acts together has given a clear understanding to all who work with children what their duties are and how we should work together in the event of allegations of child abuse. It is the role of all members of staff to safeguard the children by ensuring that you follow your school’s health and safety policies and procedures such as recording accidents on accident for ms, asking parents about bruises, knowing the children well enough to recognise a change in their behaviour, completing on going observations, knowing who is collecting and dropping off the children. You must ensure that all members of staff are fully trained on correct procedures in safeguarding, appropriate and inappropriate behaviour and being aware of not putting themselves into a situation where their behaviour or actions could be misinterpreted; always ensuring that you are never alone with any children in your care. All adults must also be aware of their individual responsibilities to bring matters of concern to the attention of senior management. You can break confidentiality if you suspect a child is at risk and you must know the correct procedure to follow if you have a disclosure of abuse. Also by updating and amending if necessary, your policies and practices on current legislations on safeguarding children. Also by having an independent body (Ofsted) who can monitor you r standards and practices this will protect the children’s rights to be safe, to enjoy and achieve, be healthy and make a positive contribution to society. How to effectively care for skin, hair and teeth Hygiene is more than just being clean. It is defined as the many practices that help people be and stay healthy. Practicing good personal hygiene is smart for two reasons. First, it helps prevent people from catching and spreading illness and disease. Second, it helps people feel good about themselves and their bodies. Good hygiene includes thoroughly and regularly washing one’s body (especially hands), washing one’s hair, brushing and flossing teeth, and caring for gums. These grooming habits will reduce the threat of bacteria that constantly reside on the body. While a certain amount of bacteria are harmless, and even beneficial, to the body, a build-up of bacteria can harm a person’s health. As children grow older, their bodies go through a number of changes. While good hygiene is important for everyone at any age, it can require greater care at the onset of puberty. When puberty arrives (usually between the ages of eight and sixteen), it means the body is becoming sexually mature. Hormones, certain chemicals made by one’s bod y, produce both physical and emotional changes. It is the physical changes that require greater attention when it comes to hygiene. For a young girl or boy, this means taking more time and care cleaning one’s body, especially the sexual organs, dealing with acne, bad breath, and a stronger body odor, as well as doing more to prevent cavities and gum disease. Skin is the largest organ on the body. It has two layers: the thin outer layer is made up of dead skin cells that are constantly shed and replaced by new cells. The thick inner layer is made up of blood vessels, nerves, and hair follicles, which contain glands. The glands in the hair follicles produce an oily substance called sebum, which keeps the skin and hair from drying out. Daily washing will keep the skin on the face and other areas of the body clean by removing the dirt, oil, and dead cells before they can accumulate. Taking good care of the skin involves a few basic steps. Dermatologists recommend that a person wa sh the face two times a day with a mild soap or gentle cleanser. It is best to avoid washing too often, as the skin will become irritated and dry out. If too much of the skin’s natural oil is washed away, the skin may become very dry and begin to itch and flake. Because the skin’s natural process is interrupted, the skin may begin to produce more oil than usual, which can cause more breakouts. Dermatologists also recommend the following for clean, healthy skin: * Use lotions only if needed, and use ones that are oil-free and water-based. * Try to identify what irritates the skin; if it’s stress, try to reduce stress levels. * Leave pimples alone; picking, popping, or squeezing them will only make them worse. * Have only a dermatologist remove or extract pimples. * Try to avoid touching the face. * Keep hands clean by washing them often. * Try to stay out of the sun, and use a sunscreen every day during summer Just like skin, hair covers and protects the body. Hair is made up of tubes of keratin. Keratin is a tough protein produced by the body. Hair grows from roots in the skin, which are called follicles. Unlike the skin, which is a living organism, by the time a hair grows out of the follicle, it is already â€Å"dead.† At the bottom of the follicle is the sebaceous gland. There, sebum, an oily substance that lubricates the hair shaft, is made. Hair comes in a variety of types. Whether hair is curly, wavy, or straight depends upon the shape of the hair follicle. A flat follicle yields wavy hair while a round follicle produces straight hair. Very curly hair comes from oval-shaped follicles. As there are different types of hair, there are also different colours and different textures—thick or thin. Whatever kind of hair a person has, it is important that it be kept clean. This will help it look and smel l good and prevent the development of scalp problems. Taking good care of your teeth is one of the smartest investments a person can make in their health, helping to ensure that the teeth will remain strong, healthy, and white for a lifetime. While many advances have been made in dentistry and in replacing teeth, nothing can ever take the place of natural teeth. They are stronger than any artificial teeth a dental professional can make. This is why it is important to care for them properly. Dental problems can be prevented by regularly using a toothbrush and dental floss, the tools for good teeth. There are many important reasons to brush the teeth every day. Brushing removes the plaque (a sticky film of bacteria that grows around the teeth) that causes tooth decay, or cavities. Brushing also helps keep gums healthy and breath fresh. To make the most of brushing, a person should choose a soft-bristled toothbrush with a shape that suits one’s mouth and allows one to reach all of the teeth easily. Use a toothpaste with fluoride (a chemical compound that is added to toothpaste and drinking water to help prevent tooth decay), hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle against the gums, and brush back and forth in short movements. Make certain to brush the outer, inner, and chewing surfaces (or flat surfaces) of the teeth. Brushing the tongu e will help remove bacteria that can cause bad breath. Flossing between teeth is a very important habit to acquire. Ideally, flossing should be done every time the teeth are brushed. Using dental floss removes plaque that is caught between the teeth. This will help prevent both cavities and gum disease. When flossing, use a generous length of floss (about 18 inches or so). Wrap one end of the floss securely around one of the middle fingers. Hook the other end around the same finger on the opposite hand. Holding the floss tightly between the thumbs and forefingers, pull the floss gently between each tooth. Softly rub the floss against the side of each tooth. Some people have difficulty handling floss, but there are many types of interdental cleaners that accomplish the same thing as floss. These include different kinds of picks and dental sticks that can be found in a pharmacy. It may sound strange, but there is such a thing as brushing teeth too vigorously. Even though brushing is v ital to maintaining healthy teeth, it can be harmful if you are brushing improperly. The enamel that protects the outside of your teeth is hard but it can get worn. When enamel is worn, teeth are more prone to decay. Using gentle, short strokes when brushing helps ensure that teeth don’t get damaged. How a positive environment and routine meet emotional needs The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning. Promoting a healthy self-concept and self-esteem in children is important to the academic and life success of the child. Self-concept and self-esteem are often used interchangeably though they have different meanings. Self-concept is the child’s perceptions of her strengths and weaknesses regarding a specific activity or talent. Self-esteem is based on how much she respects herself as a whole, and that concept includes overall happiness and satisfaction in life. Self-concept and self-esteem in children begins as infants. For instance, when a baby finally rolls over after dozens of attempts, it teaches her a â€Å"can-do† attitude. Self-esteem is important because it helps every part of a person’s life. If you have high self-esteem you will be more prepared to take on challenges, take on leadership roles and generally take risks. Believing in yourself gives you both the motivation and ability to do great things, and it is therefore extremely important that you help children develop their self-esteem. A child may not have a deep sense of self-confidence at a young age. A timid and shy child may need some encouragement to come out of her shell. With some subtle suggestions and consistent reinforcement you can help to nurture her self-confidence at an early age and foster high self-esteem in her as she grows. Having self-confidence and self-esteem will help your child be more apt to participate in class, take part in extra-curricular activities and be more social in general. Children who have high self-esteem think positively about themselves, and are able to deal with disappointment and failure better than children with low self-esteem. Scientists have found that children with low self-esteem are more likely than kids with high self-esteem to develop depression and substance abuse later in life. Children form opinions about their self-worth f rom watching the adults around them, especially their parents, when they are as young as a year old. Importance of balancing periods of physical activity with rest and quiet time. Physical activity must be balanced with work, especially in schools. Work balanced with play benefits all of society, and this is especially important for youngsters. Children become restless if their school day is not interlaced with periods of stretching, running, playing and other muscle and bone building exercises. As they are learning in their health classes, physical and mental exercising goes together. A well-nourished and wholesome body that is regularly gets physical exercise, will be more mentally alive and active. Consistent, predictable routines help young children understand the child care environment and feel secure. A regular routine enables children to reduce anxiety by knowing what is coming next. A well-planned routine will also help encourage children’s positive behaviour by meeting their basic needs for eating, sleeping, active and quiet play, time alone, and time with other children. Here are a few basic guidelines for setting up a consistent routine in your child: Plan based on children’s ages. Children of different ages need different types of schedules and routines. Infants respond best to individualized care, where they eat and sleep on their own biological schedules. Trying to get all infants to nap or eat at the same time is frustrating, both to the infant and the child care provider. Establish consistent times for eating and napping once children reach the toddler age. Children’s small stomachs and high energy levels need nutritious snacks and meals frequently. All children need to rest, even if they don’t sleep. Children whose basic needs are met will be less cranky and whiny. Balance active times with quiet times. Children are full of energy and don’t know how to slow down and rest. Planning your daily schedule so there are active play times and quiet play and rest will help children learn how to pace themselves. Balance group time with time to be alone. Children two years old and older need time to come together as a group, time to play with one or two friends, and some alone time. This teaches them the importance of community, the value of friendships, and respect for individual needs. Create a schedule that balances whole-group activities, small-group interaction, and child-directed free play. Keep routines consistent. Doing the same things in the same order helps children know what to expect in chi ld care. For example, toddlers may know that when the teacher says it’s lunchtime, they need to put away their toys, go wash their hands, sit down at their place at the table, and wait for the teacher to sit down. Most children who have been in child care for a while remember the basic routines and are less stressed when the routine is consistent. Basic nutritional requirements. Although children growth is slower than in infancy, school-aged children still have high nutritional needs but fairly small appetites. So it’s crucial all meals and snacks continue to be rich in nutrients and energy. The food choices children make during the crucial years of development can influence their future health risk and can also influence food habits in later life. A structured eating plan with regular meals and snacks is important to establish good eating habits. Ensure there’s also plenty of variety – burgers and chips are fine occasionally, but not for every meal. A limited number of foods make it difficult to obtain the full range of nutrients. Make sure children have a range of foods based on each of the main food groups. School dinners in England are subject to strict nutritional guidelines, and other rules cover school tuck shops and vending machines. Primary schools now have to stipulate the vitamin content of school meals, and secondary schools need to do so from 2009. The Scottish and Welsh governments are also developing legislation to tighten up on school dinner food choices. Encourage children to: * Always choose foods rich in protein, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese or beans, but encourage them not to eat pies, pasties, sausages or burgers every day as these are very high in fat * Choose at least one starchy food – bread, jacket potatoes, boiled potatoes, rice or pasta * Eat at least one portion of vegetables – raw, cooked alone, or as part of a salad How to establish different dietary requirements School lunch menus are designed for the majority of the school population, so some pupils with special dietary needs may need to be catered for individually. It is up to the school to decide whether this is feasible, although every effort should be made to cater for all pupils’ needs. Schools are not required by law to cater for children with special dietary needs but they are encouraged to do so. Schools should develop a policy and procedure to ensure that a request for a special diet is handled in an efficient and appropriate way. It is good practice for these requirements to be written into any contracts that are developed with caterers. Catering providers and local authorities may already have policies and procedures in place. The School Food Regulations (2007) require that all food and drink provided in local authority maintained primary, secondary, special schools and pupil referral units must meet the final food-based and nutrient-based standards for school lunches and the food-based standards for school food other than lunches. The Regulations do not specify that schools must provide a daily vegetarian option; however, schools must assess the dietary needs of their population, and make every effort to cater for all pupils’ needs in order to provide a popular and viable service. Special schools were required to comply with the final food-based and nutrient-based standards for school lunches by September 2009. This includes special schools with primary aged pupils, and special schools with secondary aged pupils. The School Food Regulations (2007) state that where a special school provides both primary and secondary education, a school lunch provided to a junior pupil must comply with the requirements for primary schools; and a school lunch provided to a senior pupil must comply with the requirements for secondary schools. There is no exemption for pupils following medically prescribed diets, and food provided to pupils following medically prescribed diets should be included in the calculation of the nutrient content of an average school lunch. The nutrient-based standards apply to lunch provision for the school as a whole, rather than consumption by individual pupils. Therefore, it is possible for schools to meet the standards whilst also providing different options (as necessary) for individual children with special dietary requirements. Basic food safety If you can help kids understand why it’s necessary to wash their hands, they’re more likely to remember to put it into practice. Food hygiene is all about preventing the spread of bacteria that can cause disease. Bacteria are living organisms just like you and me. The fact that you can’t see them doesn’t mean that they can’t cause problems. How we store food is very important in the fight against bacteria. Many of the foods we buy have recommendations for storage on their labels but there are some basic rules. * Keep chilled food in the fridge with raw meats at the bottom (this prevents any blood that escapes from the meat dropping onto other food and contaminating it). * Keep frozen food in the freezer and don’t re-freeze defrosted food. * Don’t leave food out uncovered. * Allow hot food to cool before putting in the fridge as hot food will raise the temperature in the fridge. Handling Food * ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE TOUCHING FOOD! This is even more important if you’ve just been to the toilet or have earth on your hands. * You shouldn’t really wash your hands in the same sink that you do dishes in. * Wash your hands with soap and make sure that you scrub them all over – don’t just dip your fingers under a tap! * Wash your hands frequently while cooking especially after touching raw meat. * Use different chopping boards for meat and vegetables. Having a selection of different coloured boards makes this easier. * Scrub the chopping boards thoroughly after use. Hard plastic ones are best. Cooking * Before starting to cook, make sure you are wearing an apron, have hair tied back, and have short sleeves or rolled up sleeves that can’t catch in anything. * Don’t sneeze or cough over the food! Turn away, and wash your hands afterwards. * Don’t play with your hair or nose! Wash your hands after touching either. * Any cuts or scratches should be covered with a plaster To kill bacteria: * Make sure fish and meat are thoroughly cooked. * Eggs for young children, who are especially vulnerable, should be cooked until the yolk is hard.